Idol began his music career in late 1976 as a guitarist in the punk rock band Chelsea. However, he soon left the group. With his former bandmate Tony James, Idol formed Generation X. With Idol as lead singer, the band achieved success in the United Kingdom and released three studio albums on Chrysalis Records, then disbanded. In 1981, Idol moved to New York City to pursue his solo career in collaboration with guitarist Steve Stevens. His debut studio album, Billy Idol (1982), was a commercial success. With music videos for singles "Dancing with Myself" and "White Wedding" Idol soon became a staple of then newly-established MTV.
Idol's second studio album, Rebel Yell (1983), was a major commercial success, featuring hit singles "Rebel Yell" and "Eyes Without a Face". The album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipment of two million copies in the US. In 1986, he released Whiplash Smile. Having accumulated three UK top 10 singles ("Rebel Yell", "White Wedding" and "Mony Mony"), Idol released a 1988 greatest hits album titled Idol Songs: 11 of the Best; the album went platinum in the United Kingdom. Idol then released Charmed Life (1990) and the concept album Cyberpunk (1993).
Idol spent the second half of the 1990s focusing on his personal life out of the public eye. He made a musical comeback with the release of Devil's Playground (2005) and again with Kings & Queens of the Underground (2014).
Can't Break Me Down
Billy Idol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You hid the knife in the core of an apple
Burn me, try to hurt me
Try to hit me when my back was turning
I saw you wait where the shadows are growing
You're talking straight
But your colors are showing
Try to get me when my head was turning
You want to rain on my survival story
You're crazy baby 'cause I've never had a doubt
I'm singin' songs about love and glory
Oh oh oh
Your gun went
Bang, bang, bang
You shot me to the ground
But you can't break me down
Bang, bang, bang
You tried to knock me out
No, you can't break me down
It's just my natural reaction
When I hit the floor
I'm the original assassin
I come up for more
You put me up so you can watch me crumble
I always knew you were some kind of trouble
Lurking, you can't hurt me
'cause I see just how your evil's working
A silver tongue with the best of intentions
But you're a child with the cruelest inventions
Burning, you're just hurtin'
I know somewhere deep in hell you're workin'
You want to rain on my survival story
You're crazy baby 'cause I never had a doubt
I'm singing songs about love and glory
Oh oh oh
Your gun went
Bang, bang, bang
You shot me to the ground
But you can't bring me down
Bang, bang, bang
You try to knock me out
No, you can't break me down
It's just my natural reaction
When I hit the floor
I'm the original assassin
I come up for more
You don't know what you started
You hit but missed the target
Bang, bang, bang
You shot me to the ground
But you can't break me down
Bang, bang, bang
You tried to knock me out
No, you can't break me down
It's just my natural reaction
When I hit the floor
I'm the original assassin
I come up for more
The lyrics to Billy Idol’s song “Can't Break Me Down” hint at a confrontational situation or relationship where one individual is attempting to harm the other. The devil’s house in the shape of a chapel alludes to someone who is putting on a false front. The knife hidden in an apple could signify betrayal or deception. The chorus, “Bang, bang, bang, you shot me to the ground, but you can't break me down,” is a declaration of resilience and strength. Even though the singer has been attacked and hurt, they refuse to let the other person break them down. The line, “I'm the original assassin, I come up for more,” implies that the singer is not only resilient but also a fighter and will continue to stand up for themselves.
The verses describe the antagonist as someone who is trying to hurt the singer while pretending to be a friend. The singer seems aware that this person is not genuine and can see through their façade. The lines, “You're talking straight, but your colors are showing,” indicate that the singer is aware that the antagonist is not being truthful. However, despite this knowledge, the singer remains steadfast and refuses to let the other person destroy them.
Line by Line Meaning
The devil's house in the shape of a chapel
The person who is trying to hurt me seems good and holy on the outside, but I know they have bad intentions.
You hid the knife in the core of an apple
You are trying to hurt me in a sneaky way, pretending to offer something good but really having a harmful hidden agenda.
Burn me, try to hurt me
You are doing everything in your power to harm me.
Try to hit me when my back was turning
You are taking advantage of me by attacking me when I am not looking or not expecting it.
I saw you wait where the shadows are growing
I am aware that you are lurking in the darkness, waiting to hurt me when I least expect it.
You're talking straight, but your colors are showing
Although you are pretending to be honest and sincere, your true motives are becoming obvious to me.
You want to rain on my survival story
You want to ruin my success and happiness.
You're crazy baby 'cause I've never had a doubt
I am confident in myself and know that I cannot be defeated by your attempts to bring me down.
I'm singing songs about love and glory
I am celebrating my own life and accomplishments, and not letting you get me down.
Your gun went Bang, bang, bang
Your attacks on me are like gunfire, but I am resilient and cannot be defeated.
You shot me to the ground, but you can't break me down
Although you thought you had defeated me, I refuse to let you break my spirit and determination.
You tried to knock me out, no, you can't break me down
Even though you tried to incapacitate me, I refuse to let you defeat me completely.
It's just my natural reaction when I hit the floor
Although I may be temporarily knocked down by your attacks, I will always get back up and keep fighting.
I'm the original assassin, I come up for more
I am strong and resilient, and will never let you defeat me for good.
You put me up so you can watch me crumble
You are trying to weaken me so that you can watch me fall apart and fail.
I always knew you were some kind of trouble
I have always known that you are a harmful and negative force in my life.
Lurking, you can't hurt me
Even though you are hiding and sneaking around, I am stronger than you and you cannot harm me.
'cause I see just how your evil's working
I am aware of your harmful intentions and am not afraid to stand up to you.
A silver tongue with the best of intentions
You may seem persuasive and charming, but I know that you are not acting in my best interests.
But you're a child with the cruelest inventions
Although you may seem mature, you are actually quite immature and your harmful actions are like child's play.
Burning, you're just hurtin'
Your attempts to harm me are actually only hurting yourself in the long run.
I know somewhere deep in hell you're workin'
I know that you are acting in a way that is cruel and harmful, and that is like doing the devil's work.
You don't know what you started, you hit but missed the target
Although you tried to hurt me, you have actually failed and will not succeed in your harmful intentions.
Contributed by Lillian A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@8thManDVDcom
Idol still has it, good stuff.
@BrosFront
take off... we alod
@amosismael4060
i guess im randomly asking but does anyone know a method to log back into an instagram account..?
I somehow forgot the login password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me.
@frederickreece4256
@Amos Ismael Instablaster ;)
@amosismael4060
@Frederick Reece Thanks for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now.
Takes a while so I will reply here later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@amosismael4060
@Frederick Reece it did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thank you so much you saved my ass :D
@MaskSavesLives
Billy Idol needs to be included on Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
@ofensetzer7651
Absolutly.
@XCrawlFan
Maybe we need a punk hall of fame.
@catalinaandreeamitroi2999
Haha, Billy Idol needs to BE the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame